Author Brands

and while I'm on the subject of branding, it doesn't happen only with book characters -- it happens with authors too. How many famous people have now written one -- or more children's books? and how many of them are actually any good? Have you read Katie Couric's first book? It's absolutely awful. And Jerry Seinfeld's book? Frankly I find it gross -- the illustrations particularly. Why is it that people think that anyone can write a children's book? I think these books are mainly sold to parents who think their kids will like them . . . but kids are smarter than that. They like to read good books, not books written by famous people.

I tend to stay away from celebrity, so if you do know of any outstanding celebrity authors, let me know.

The Problem with Branding

I know, there are tons and tons of children's books out there. I did my dissertation on the business of children's books, particularly on the topic of branding. Branding is the term used in marketing to create a mark or brand in consumers' minds about certain products. Children's books have become a major commodity in the market of creating brands. This refers to the practice of taking a great book -- The Polar Express, Harry Pottery, The Golden Compass -- and turning it into a movie, and t-shirts, and stationery, and Bandaids, etc etc etc. Soon the book becomes lost in all the other stuff that it created. I just came from our campus bookstore, where I counted no less than 9 books about the recently released (what, 2 weeks ago?) movie Up. There was a sticker book, and a Behind the Movie book, and a junior serialization book, and a picture book, and a book by the dog Dug. Already!!

What this has done is to turn even the act of reading into an act of consumption. Like the book? Buy the sheets, the beach towels, the plush toy -- you get the picture. One of my sources described how the book The Polar Express -- a wonderful fable written and beautifully illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, one of the best writers of kids' books out there -- was turned into a movie. Then the movie was turned into a BOOK -- the book version of the movie! So kids might not ever even get to read the original book.

There are a lot of branded books out there, which is why I'm interested in reading the original, especially when it is well-written with terrific characters, a believable plot, and a satisfying ending.

Kids books that made me cry

Some kids books make me cry because they are sad. Some make me cry because they are happy or hopeful. Some just make me cry because they are so beautifully written. Here is a list:

The Book Thief, Mark Zusak. I just finished reading this book and I guarantee it will make you cry. Beautifully and hauntingly written story about a young German girl living near Munich during World War II.

Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo. There is nothing sad about this book but the ending is so perfect, so full of hope and love, that I break down every time I read it.

Pictures of Hollis Woods, Patricia Reilly Giff. Hollis is a foster child who loves her newest foster mother, but she remembers her last family through her drawings of them. Very satisfying conclusion!

Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson. You probably cried at this movie, but you'll bawl after reading the book. The story of the unlikely friendship between a boy and a girl and what happens after the girl is killed in a storm.

A Long Way From Chicago (Puffin Modern Classics), Richard Peck. Grandma is absolutely one of the funniest characters I've ever encountered in a children's book, but the poignant ending got to me.

The Cat Who Walked Across France, Banks and Hallensleben. This is a picture book with a very simple story; a cat lives happily with his mistress, but when she dies he is put out with all her other belongings. He decides to return to the house by the sea where he remembered being happy. On his journey he passes through many French landmarks; the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. In the end, the cat finds his dream. Makes me cry every time!

About this Blog

As a kid, I was a voracious reader. I was the kid on our summer vacation that Mom was always telling to put down the book. I loved all kinds of books, but mostly fantasy: C. S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles, Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth. Even as I grew older, I remember telling my mother that I would never read adult books -- they were boring. I only wanted to keep reading kids books.

Now that I am an adult of course I enjoy "adult" books, but I still read books written for children. I don't have kids; I'm not a teacher or school librarian; I don't have lots of nieces and nephews. I just love kids' books. They contain a sense of wonder not found in adult books (outside of science fiction and fantasy, perhaps). It is extremely difficult to write a really good book for children, one that doesn't talk down or moralize or try to be too trendy. Kids books are universal. Kids books make me cry (something an adult book never did).

This blog is meant for those folks like me who enjoy reading children's books because they enjoy good literature and, in the case of picture books, good illustrations. It's ok if you have kids or are a teacher or librarian -- as long as you enjoy kids books for their literary value and not because you "have" to read them.